Chapter 200
Early in the morning, Zhu Fugui was still sleeping soundly.
He was dug out of his bed by his own adjutant.
He was still drowsy when he was woken up, but he became fully awake when he heard that Xing Changfeng was missing in Jiaozhou.
He sat up straight. "What did you say?"
"My Lord, please get up quickly. The general has disappeared. Lord Yao just announced the news and said we'll discuss the strategy in an hour. If you get up now, you can still make it."
The past must be the past!
"Help me up!"
Oh my god, he had worked hard for most of his life to earn a fortune, and most of it had been invested in Xing Changfeng. If he disappeared at this moment, who would return his hard-earned money? No, he had to ask Yao Chunnuan.
The adjutant quickly asked the maid to bring in toiletries.
As Zhu Fugui was getting dressed, he told himself not to panic. Even if Xing Changfeng, the big tree, fell, as long as Yao Chunnuan was still there, his capital would not be lost too much.
Yao Chunnuan had given herself an hour to think at the morning meeting. During this time, she returned to the Yao residence to wash up and have a light breakfast. After a quick shower and a cup of strong tea, she felt refreshed and her mind instantly cleared, like a computer that had just been virus-free.
Before leaving, she instructed Luo Suyi to take good care of Yao Xiaoxi. She also had Xiao Jie order two secret guards to stay with her. Last night in Houcheng, Wang Lang had entered the city from outside as if he were in an empty place, which made her worry about her daughter's safety.
When Yao Chunnuan returned to the City Lord's Mansion, Chief Steward Wu came in. With the war on three fronts in Yichun, there was a huge demand for weapons and food, and he had been spending most of his time in the Arsenal recently.
When he saw Yao Chunnuan, he asked directly, "Tell me the truth, is the general still alive?"
“Alive.”
"Will you find a way to save him?" Manager Wu looked straight into her eyes.
Yao Chunnuan also looked directly at the other person and said, "Yes, I will do my best to save him."
"Then, do as you wish," said Wu. The general had once told him privately that if he were ever in danger, it would be Yao Chunnuan who would do everything in her power to save him.
An hour passed, and the meeting was attended by an unprecedented number of members. After all, with the general missing, the survival of the city was at stake. Everyone was concerned about what measures the Yichun City Lord's Mansion would take.
When everyone had finished their discussion, Yao Chunnuan stood at the head of the group and spoke directly, "The situation in Jiaozhou is critical. I plan to send another 20,000 elite troops there. Firstly, to search for and rescue the general, and secondly, to ease the pressure on the army there."
They can only send out 20,000 elite troops from Youzhou, no more. If they can defeat Wang Lang's army now, they can withdraw more troops to support □□zhou.
No one spoke.
With the general missing, it was only right to send reinforcements to rescue him. However, the situation in Houcheng was not optimistic. After repeated defeats, if more troops were withdrawn, it would probably fall.
"Sir Yao, which unit of troops do you plan to send to Jiaozhou?" someone asked boldly.
The person who was speaking was a young player who had shown his talent in the past two years, but this young player did not get along well with another young player who had caught the attention of the upper echelons.
Yao Chunnuan's eyes flickered as she said, "General Zhu's Cavalry Battalion." Her focus these days had been on local governance, so she didn't know every single general, especially the newer ones. But it didn't matter; she had already marked him.
Since Yao Chunnuan had doubts about Zhu Junlan, he planned to transfer him. This would remove a source of instability in Youzhou. Yao Chunnuan also believed that among Zhu Junlan's cavalry, those who shared his ulterior motives were likely his trusted personal soldiers. Most of the cavalry were likely to be fine, as their food and supplies were provided by the Yichun City Lord's Mansion. Their loyalty to the general was reasonable.
Yao Chunnuan planned to use the first cavalry battalion as the team to openly support the search and rescue of the general, and then send another elite force of several hundred people to go deep into the territory of the Southern Barbarians to secretly search for the general.
"Isn't this inappropriate? Jiaozhou is mountainous and water-rich, unlike the flat plains of the north, making it particularly suitable for cavalry. Moreover, General Zhu's cavalry battalion is one of the main forces defending Houcheng, so they can't withdraw."
"Well, Master Yao, I also think the issue of increasing the troops should be discussed later."
Yao Chunnuan: "Didn't you say that the troops currently stationed in Houcheng are at a disadvantage against Wang Lang's imperial army? I was planning to transfer General Pan's men and General Zhu's men, and send other troops to defend Houcheng against the imperial army."
At this time, Pan Buyi was defeated in a field battle with Wang Lang's army and was seriously injured and sent back to Yichun. Before returning, Pan Buyi ordered the mobilization of troops from Huining to resist Wang Lang. Only then did he feel at ease to return to Yichun, partly because of Zhu Junlan's request, and partly to defend Houcheng.
Zhu Junlan also came back.
It was at this time that Zhu Junlan pushed open the door of the conference hall and came in.
As soon as he entered, he spoke with an imposing aura, "Master Yao, before the general left for Jiaozhou, he handed the second front to General Pan and appointed you as acting city lord, managing Youzhou on his behalf and guarding the rear. Isn't it your responsibility to appoint and dismiss military officers? Master Yao, aren't you abusing your power?" Then, he looked around, "I oppose the decision to send more troops to Jiaozhou. The general has disappeared, and we should be defending Youzhou for him. Youzhou is struggling against the imperial army right now. I don't know what Master Yao is thinking, but to withdraw my troops from the front lines at this time."
Yao Chunnuan said slowly, "In an emergency, we must make decisions based on our circumstances."
"What a great decision to make in a hurry! The defeat in the Houcheng battle and the disappearance of the general, I seriously suspect that there is a traitor in our Yichun City Lord's Mansion." While speaking, Zhu Junlan's eyes were always on Yao Chunnuan.
Yao Chunnuan nodded in agreement, as if to say, 'I feel the same way.'
Everyone: "..." Lord Yao, General Zhu is clearly implying something, why are you nodding so vigorously?
"So during the general's disappearance, anyone can be in power, but you can't." Zhu Junlan pointed at Yao Chunnuan and said.
"Why is this happening?" Zhu Yongnian looked at this and then that, feeling extremely embarrassed.
"Master Yao, stop playing dumb. The person I'm talking about collaborating with the enemy is you!"
"Lord Yao is collaborating with the enemy? Impossible?"
"I don't believe it."
"Don't forget that the enemy's current commander, Wang Lang, is Lord Yao's ex-husband."
"You also said he was your ex-husband. Everyone has witnessed how Lord Yao treated Wang Lang."
"It's hard to say. The most important thing is that they have a daughter together. It's not impossible for them to put aside their past grievances and work together again because of their daughter."
"It's pointless if you insist on saying that. Lord Yao can't just erase the past."
"That's right. Lord Yao never showed mercy when dealing with Wang Lang. Let's not talk about the past. Just a few days ago, Lord Yao deduced that Wang Lang would attack Suihua between Suihua and Houcheng, and ordered his men to ambush his army along the route, wiping out 150,000 of his troops in one fell swoop. Have you forgotten? If these two were to make their fake play real, would they have to go to such lengths?"
"You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. 150,000 soldiers in exchange for the entire Youzhou is worth it."
Yao Chunnuan just watched without saying anything. She was relieved that most people present were on her side.
At this time, Zhu Fugui pushed the door open and came in. "Zhu Junlan, stop it. If Yao Chunnuan wanted to collaborate with the enemy, she would have done so long ago. I don't believe that there is anyone here who hasn't been solicited by the court or Xuzhou. I believe Yao Chunnuan has also received such an offer. Given her ability, the new emperor and the Prince of Ruyin must have offered extremely generous conditions. But she refused before and spent so much effort to govern Yichun and Youzhou. What do you think she wants?"
Zhu Junlan: "She's after a high position and generous salary! General Zhu, I don't deny her efforts. When the general was still here, she held a high position and had great power. She only needed to work hard to climb the ladder. Now that the general is gone, her future is uncertain, but she will still be valued if she joins the court. Youzhou is her token of loyalty!"
Yao Chunnuan clapped her hands. "Zhu Junlan, you say I'm collaborating with the enemy, you say I've secretly defected to the imperial court. You need to provide some solid evidence. You can't just accuse me of collaborating with the enemy based on your own words and conjectures."
Others echoed, "Yes, if you have any evidence, just bring it out and don't make people panic."
"You, Yao Chunnuan, are so smart, one of the smartest people in Yichun. What leverage can I have over you?" Zhu Junlan laughed at himself.
Yao Chunnuan laughed, "Is it that I can't get it or that it doesn't exist at all?"
Zhu Junlan said sternly, "However, your meeting with Wang Lang last night and the military failure in Houcheng are obvious to all. Guo Huai and I witnessed the meeting with Wang Lang firsthand."
"What did you witness? Why didn't you tell me that Lord Yao had ordered Wang Lang to be hunted down? I really don't understand your logic. If Lord Yao really collaborated with the enemy, would he take me with him? Would he make such a big fuss, fearing that others wouldn't notice?" Qi Yingshan said dissatisfiedly.
"Perhaps this is a deliberate attempt to shroud the enemy after being caught in their secret meeting? Otherwise, how do you explain the repeated defeats in Houcheng? We all know that you, Yao Chunnuan, are adept at analyzing various information. There must be a reason for the repeated defeats in Houcheng, right? The war secrets have been leaked, that's for sure. Either General Pan is collaborating with the enemy, or you, Yao Chunnuan, are collaborating. Is there any other reason?"
There is nothing wrong with this logic. Lord Yao is indeed very capable.
During this period, Houcheng's defense was very unsuccessful. For example, when attacking the enemy at night, they were often caught in wait, as if the enemy had predicted their attack in advance.
As the commander-in-chief, Pan Buyi was also very troubled. This was the biggest setback the Yichun Corps had encountered since its establishment. There were even some rumors circulating in the army that war secrets had been leaked.
After two or three failures, he realized that military secrets had been leaked. He even developed many battle plans alone, never sharing them with anyone else. But they still didn't work, as if someone had read his mind in advance. Even some strategies he thought were great just couldn't fool Wang Lang, as if the other party had seen through all the tricks, which made him feel very frustrated.
Yao Chunnuan probably knew what was going on. Wang Lang's rebirth was not without benefits. At least from the current situation, he should have a deep understanding of famous veterans like Pan Buyi.
Zhu Junlan brought up this matter with no good intentions. He wanted to force Pan Buyi to choose between two options: either admit that she leaked the secret or was incompetent, or throw the dirty water on her as a matter of course.
Pan Buyi, despite being seriously injured, had to express his opinion when he was mentioned. He thought for a moment and said impartially, "I can guarantee that there will be no leaks from my side. As for Lord Yao, I can't say. However, it's possible that Wang Lang has some connections."
Yao Chunnuan nodded, "Yeah, besides this, is there anything else?"
Everyone knew that she was asking Zhu Junlan whether he had any other evidence to prove that she was collaborating with the enemy.
Her reaction made Zhu Junlan feel very uncomfortable. She acted as if she was watching a monkey show. Yes, it was a monkey show, as if all the shapes were under her control.
"Isn't that enough? Lord Yao is so smart and cautious, it's incredible that we caught him in such a trick."
Yao Chunnuan clapped her hands and said, "Okay, the game ends here." Just as she guessed, Zhu Junlan had changed his mind.
She thought it was time to close the net. At this point, only Zhu Junlan and a junior officer were exposed. It wasn't time to close the net yet. If they let the bullets fly for a while longer, more people might be exposed later. If they closed the net now, grabbing Zhu Junlan, who knows how much mud would be pulled out. However, the general and the entire Youzhou were facing a threat. Time was precious, and using it to clean up a few small fish would be a waste.
What?
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